And so we begin again with a brand new Project 52. We're starting the year with a month of basic compositions, first up being center. Do you use this composition often? Do you find it easy or hard? I think the p52 participants would agree it's harder than they initially thought as some of us struggled to intentionally shoot a center composed image last week.

You wouldn't know anyone struggled by looking at the hundreds of images that flooded my feed on Sunday during our mass post. That was an inspiration overload! What a great start to our 2025 project. 

If you're looking for a personal project for the year, there's still time to join. You, too, can get your weekly dose of inspiration from such a talented and overwhelming encouraging group.

xo Angie Mahlke

Well, we can officially call it on the 2024 Project 52. That's a wrap! And what an amazing year it was, full of inspiration and learning and digging deep on the weeks we just weren't feeling it. 2024 saw us going out of our comfort zones, challenging ourselves, finding ourselves, and growing so much in the process. Whether you finished 12, 27 or all 52 weeks, that is a huge accomplishment you should be applauding yourself for!

Before we go, let's have one final post full of all your inspiring images. Week 52, our final week, had us finishing up the month of creative themes with diptychs. 

We're about to start our 2025 project, so if you're wanting to commit to a photography project in the new year, click here to join!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We asked the p52 students to choose their favorite image from the project (which is no small feat, trust me) and let us see inside their heads a bit as they reveal why they chose that particular photo or what the project has meant to them. This blog post is evidence of the power of photography projects and the people who do them right alongside you. 

If you're wanting a similar experience in 2025, I invite you to join us as we start all over again with a brand new theme schedule and prompt list.

xo Angie Mahlke

Last week in our Project 52 we concentrated on another creative technique - intentional camera movement. Most of us have never attempted ICM before, and it yielded far more fails than successes. It's one of those techniques that you either love or hate. It's hard to argue how unique the results are, though. It either produces a painterly effect or an abstract piece of art. Have you ever tried ICM? Where do you fall, hate it or love it?

We have one week left of the 2024 p52 and then we're headed straight into our 2025 project. Would you like to join us?

xo,
Angie Mahlke

The next photo prompt in our month of creative themes in our Project 52 was bokeh. It's that magical time of year where festive bokeh takes over, flooding our feeds with colorful bokeh dots. But that's not the only way to use bokeh. Some of the p52 participants chose a subtler approach with a creamy bokeh background instead. Which way do you prefer to use bokeh in your work?

It's hard to believe there are only two weeks left in our 2024 project! Where did the year go? No worries, though. We are starting all over again in 2025. If you haven't signed up yet, we'd love to have you join our group!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We are finishing up our Project 52 with a month of creative themes meant to push us out of our comfort zones and experiment with new things. The first creative theme was intentional blur, and the p52 participants used a variety of techniques to achieve this, from Lensbaby lenses and freelensing to playing around with motion blur and light painting. Do you have a favorite way to intentionally use blur in your work?

If you're interested in joining a photography project in the new year, the 2025 run of 52 Clicks is now open for registration. We'd love to have you join us. Click here to join.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

Ah, the ambitious dream of a year-long photography project! It’s like signing up for a marathon, but with a camera in hand instead of running shoes. Don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! Hi, I’m Angie, and I’ve completed multiple year-long photography challenges (specifically p52s, where you take a photo each week). I’m here to help you not only get past the halfway slump but cross the finish line with confidence.

Wondering how? I’ve got some practical tips to keep you inspired and motivated, so you won’t end up swapping your camera for a nap. Let’s dive in—are you ready?

To conclude our Fun with Light month in our Project 52 we tackled the theme silhouette. Silhouettes are a great way to get creative. There are so many different ways to capture silhouettes, from small shapes against a big sky to framing your subject in a window. The p52 participants certainly didn't slack on this assignment and came up with a variety of inspiring approaches to the theme. See for yourself! Now you want to go capture some silhouettes, right? I don't blame you. The talent in this group is hard to ignore. Their creativity is contagious.

The signup for the 2025 project is now open. We'd love to have you join us next year!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

Next up in our Fun with Light month in our Project 52 was the theme pocket of light. Finding that little slice of light to add drama, isolate the subject, direct your eye or any other reasons is a creative way to use light. It's a great experiment to hunt for this kind of light and figure out fun ways to experiment with it. Do you ever go on light hunts?

I was gushing about how this week rates right up there as one of my favorites because of all the talent that kept sweeping into my Instagram feed during our mass post. The level of creative genius in the p52 group is mind-blowing. Enjoy a small sampling of their work.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We continued with our Fun with Light month in our Project 52 last week with the theme of reflections. Reflections are fun to experiment with because there are so many options for reflective surfaces: mirrors, water, windows, glass, etc. Reflections are an easy way to add depth, drama, framing and tell the story in a creative way. Do you like to play with reflections in your work?

Take a look at how the p52 participants used reflections. They definitely understood the assignment!

If you're interested in joining our photography project next year, let us know and we'll add you to our waitlist.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

The month of November in our Project 52 will be all about light. Fun with light, to be exact. We studied different types of light earlier in the year, and now it's time to be more creative and have fun with it.

Our first theme was shadow play, and a large majority of us struggled because of uncooperative weather not giving us enough light for natural shadows. Instead, we had to think outside of the box and come up with different light sources to create shadows. It was a great exercise to challenge us, because without challenges, we won't grow and develop new skills.

You can see for yourself how everyone rose up to the challenge by browsing these p52 participant images.

If you're interested in joining our photography project next year, let us know and we'll add you to our waitlist.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We finished off our color month in our project 52 with black and white - the absence of color. Black and white photography has such a different feel to it than color photography. It can evoke emotions, create a nostalgic vibe, add contrast, force attention on the details, etc. Are you a fan of black and white? Do you use it often in your own work?

Here is a small sampling of the ways the p52 participants used black and white photography last week.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We focused on the monochromatic color scheme in our project 52 last week. Oftentimes people confuse monochromatic with black and white, but black and white is the absence of color, whereas monochromatic colors are multiple variations of one color. Do you ever use monochromatic colors in your work?

Let's see how the p52 participants tackled this theme. If you're on the fence on whether you're a fan of monochromatic, these images just might pull you over to the mono side.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

52 Clicks | Week 42 | Analogous Colors

Last week in our Project 52, we moved on to analogous colors - the three colors next to each other on the color wheel.

We struggled with whether our colors were truly analogous, and Abi Coop shared a trick on how to check your colors by uploading an image in the Adobe Color website.

Check out some of the participants' images from week 42 of our p52. What sort of vibe do you get? Analogous colors are known for their calming aesthetic since they lack the contrast we see with complementary colors.

xo Angie Mahlke

See what the p52 participants did with complementary colors last week.

xo
Angie Mahlke

We will be focusing on color theory for the month of October in our Project 52. Using colors intentionally can make such a huge difference in your photography. Do you think about the different color harmonies when you pick up your camera? Do you consider what color schemes will best serve your vision while editing?

The first color harmony we tackled was complementary - the two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Do you have a favorite color combo you tend to favor?

See what the p52 participants did with complementary colors last week.

xo
Angie Mahlke

Our month of senses in our p52 concluded last week with the sense of smell.

I love how so many things can evoke smell; and it was fun seeing how the participants decided to capture this in such a variety of ways.

Before we move onto a new theme for October, let's take a moment to appreciate some of the images from the group. Can you smell the images from week 40?

xo Angie Mahlke

Week 39 in our p52 was all about the sense of sound, and how we can either interpret or conjure it in our images.

Scroll through a sample of the participants' images and see if you can hear the sounds. Even the absence of sound can be loud.

xo Angie

We're continuing on with our month of senses in our project 52; and next up: sight.

For the month of September we will be challenging ourselves to capture the five senses in our p52. Have you ever focused primarily on the senses when taking pictures?

First up, is touch. What do you think of when you think of the sense of touch? Of course, there's the literal interpretation of hands. Another big one that always comes to mind is incorporating textures to add a feeling of touch to your images.

See how the p52 participants tackled this theme in week 36 of our project.

xo Angie

For the month of September we will be challenging ourselves to capture the five senses in our p52. Have you ever focused primarily on the senses when taking pictures?

First up, is touch. What do you think of when you think of the sense of touch? Of course, there's the literal interpretation of hands. Another big one that always comes to mind is incorporating textures to add a feeling of touch to your images.

See how the p52 participants tackled this theme in week 36 of our project.

xo Angie